December 4, 2009Pictory: Get Your Photo Gems Discovered

When the former editor-in-chief of JPG Magazine launches a photography startup, budding photojournalists should take note. Laura Brunow Miner just launched Pictory, a site where netizens are offered a chance to contribute their best work to a weekly photo essay. The difference between being featured in Flickr's curated galleries or filling your Tumblr blog with panoramas is that Pictory tells a larger group story. There's only one catch – you only get one shot (literally) to make the cut.

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The company invites snap happy users to submit captioned social documentary pics for review in a weekly group photo essay. After receiving the submissions, the designer/editor plans on choosing between 20-40 entries to create the final product.

Says Brunow Miner, "Pictory will focus more on documentary and our lives and cultures, because ultimately I think that's more interesting. On JPG I ran a theme on urban typography that was really fun for the design geek in all of us. [But] on Pictory I'd be more likely to feature a theme on urban transportation. It would still have design appeal, but would also show how different transportation across the world effects communities."

The site's latest project entitled "Overseas and Overwhelmed" offers a rich array of images. From a market in Marrakesh, to a youth rally in Cuba, to a spirited football match in Buenos Aires – submissions feature farflung scenes of travel and exploration. And while the pieces of the story come from a variety of voices and viewpoints, the theme of culture shock comes shining through.

When we asked the Pictory founder what she'll retain from her days at JPG, she exclaims, "I've included the community aspect I'm familiar with from JPG because I really enjoy being surprised by submissions. I love people and the charming and unexpected things they do, say and think."

To showcase your brilliance and take a crack at Pictory's next theme, submit your shots at pictorymag.com.